


Family Is More Than Skin Deep

by daroos



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Family, Gen, Shapeshifter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-27
Updated: 2012-08-27
Packaged: 2017-11-13 00:02:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/497145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daroos/pseuds/daroos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An AU from season 6, episode 2, Two and a Half Men.  Dean and Sam 'capture' a shape shifting baby to use as bait for the 'father of all shape shifters'.  At one point Samuel gives the baby to his nephew, Christian, telling him to take it home and raise it as his own.  They do.</p>
<p>WARNING for the incidental (off screen) death of a cat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family Is More Than Skin Deep

Christian transferred all the baby gear to his truck before heading home. They would need all the head start they could get on the Baby Gear front, especially considering he and Sharon weren’t the real baby shower types. They named him Aaron (or Erin when he was a she) and they loved him. Danger came and danger went - Samuel’s deal fell apart and he died bloody, which by that point nobody much minded.

Aaron was a good kid. He only cried when he needed something and when he could talk, an inquisitive, confident personality came out. He could be hard those first few years before he learned to control his shape-shifting. Uncle Sammy was over almost constantly to tell him what a good boy he was and how disinclined towards evil he would be. Christian always figured Sammy knew what he was talking about, having been a vessel for Lucifer himself and having spent his share in hell. The kid wouldn’t be evil. Christian knew evil and the sweet, toothy smile wasn’t it. Aaron did have a practical brutal streak.

“He bit me.” Aaron said, covered in blood and looking at the battered corpse of a feral cat.

Christian picked his child up and wiped the blood from his face, “Why did he do that?” Christian asked gently.

Aaron sniffed piteously, “I don’t know.”

Christian glanced around the alley between their house and a high brick wall demarcating the next property. “Did you corner him?” Aaron’s guilty confused look said it all. Christian sighed, “Pain is a part of life.” He told the child, “It’s how we react to it that separates us from animals. Do you want to be like an animal?” Christian shook his head ‘no’ with Aaron.

“Why did he bite me?”

“He was scared of you - he thought by hurting you he could maybe get away. He didn’t want to hurt you - he was just scared. Like you got scared and hurt him back.” Aaron nodded in comprehension. “Next time someone or something hurts you, you just get away and come to me, or mom, or someone else in the family, okay?” Aaron nodded, now upset instead of angry. “Lets get you cleaned up and bury this big guy.”

They dug a hole for the cat together and salted and burned it for tradition’s sake. They had a little funeral service and the lesson sunk in. Aaron didn’t kill any animals after that, though he did punch a bully hard enough to break his nose. Uncle Dean had gone over the complex rules of the playground and he knew it was a sanctioned form of violence. Subsequently, he felt quite betrayed when he was suspended.

“Uncle Dean, why did I get in trouble?”

Dean huffed, looking at the weapons rack for inspiration. “So there’s stuff you shouldn’t do ever, like biting, right?” Aaron nodded, “And most of the time you shouldn’t hurt anyone, ever, right? We protect people.” Aaron continued to nod, confused. “But sometimes, in order to do what you know is right, here,” Dean tapped his chest over his heart, “You have to do something that society doesn’t think is so right. And if society catches you doing those things, you get punished.”

“So...”

“So, don’t get caught. I mean, look for a way that society is okay with and sits right with you first, but if it’s gotta be done, don’t get caught.”  
\--  
“Society cares what you look like.” Sharon told her son when he was ten. He had wanted to look like his father so they’d dug up a photo of Christian from that age which Aaron duplicated faithfully.

“I know.” He replied, “That’s why I have to stay in one skin.”

Sharon nodded, “But it’s not just that. People will judge you on how you look. Attractive folks get more of what they want easier. Average folks can pass unnoticed. That’s why we dress up to go to church, and why I put on different clothes to go to work than when I’m at home. When you’re older, if you decide to go hunting with your family, you’ll be able to change your skin like they change their clothes to make yourself fit in the roles better.” She smoothed down his hair, “So what I’d like you to do at school is keep your eyes open and see how people treat each other, and keep all of that in mind for when you’re older, okay?”  
\--  
Dean was explaining the birds and the bees to Aaron. He’d already had this talk with Ben, so he thought he was ready for a reprise.

“How will I know I’m ready?”

Dean chewed on his lip, “Dude, no matter what your parents may say, that is 100% up to you and whatever lucky girl... or guy I guess, you’re with. I know your hormones are probably going batshit... Look, the best advice I can give you is don’t sleep with someone you have to change yourself to please, and don’t sleep with someone you’ll regret in the morning.” After a brief pause, “Now lets talk condoms.”  
\--  
“Dad once told me I had to look inside myself to know what was wrong, and that answer would tell me what kind of person I was.” Aaron and Sam were drinking beers in the back of Aaron’s truck. The adrenaline of the hunt had worn off and exhaustion made the gun lockers almost seem comfortable. “I don’t think killing is wrong - does that make me evil?”

Sam sighed loudly, “We’re all a bit sociopathic.” He replied philosophically. “Do you like killing?”

Aaron cracked a crooked smile, eerily reminiscent of his father’s. “I’m a hunter. I was bred to be good at it, and we do good work. There’s satisfaction in it.”

“Fair enough.” Sam wedged his beer bottle between a running board and a hex box. “I’d like to think there was a time I thought killing was wrong, but truthfully? If I knew something was going to hurt me or my family, you couldn’t have convinced me killing it was a bad choice. I don’t believe what we do is wrong, and our business is death.”

“So... Not evil?” Aaron clarified.

“Not yet at least. We all have that potential, though, so keep on your toes.”


End file.
